From New York to Beijing or Sydney, such a wide geography of cities has exhibited the works of foreign artists coming to the MO Museum from the collection of the Lewben Art Foundation. All of them, together with the Lithuanian MO collection artists, will be exhibited in the new exhibition "Our Selfie". The new exhibition – the first of two private collections – MO Museum and a joint project of the Lewben Art Foundation. The exhibition will be presented to visitors on August 8. Exhibition curator Francesca Ferrarini will also take part in the presentation.
"Our Selfie" is the title of the exhibition, which is intriguing but also raises questions. A selfie in the exhibition is also a (self) portrait that tells not only about one person, but also about the whole society. As the curator of the exhibition, Francesca Ferrarini, states: "This is an exhibition of (self) portraits that emphasizes the need felt by artists to return to the aforementioned genre without waiting for anything in these times of universal selfies."
The exhibition includes works from two collections
"We always want to present Lithuanian creators in a global context. Therefore, the upcoming exhibition will feature world-famous foreign artists belonging to the Lewben Art Foundation collection. These are creators who have organized several personal exhibitions, their works are in various museums around the world, and they are all actively creating at the moment. The Lithuanian artists of the MO collection presented in the exhibition are equally active. And they all study and research current problems together, regardless of where they were born, grew up or live," says Milda Ivanauskienė, director of the MO Museum.
"We are one of the few in Lithuania collecting the works of foreign artists and probably the only ones in Lithuania who do it consistently and purposefully. The curator of this joint exhibition with the MO Museum is Francesca Ferrarini, who has been responsible for the formation of this direction of our collection for four years," says Ugnė Bužinskaitė, director of the Lewben Art Foundation.
It is interesting that the works of one of the artists of the exhibition - Tschabalala Self - are exhibited this year already in the second museum designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The works of the artist, who studies and interprets the body of a black woman in contemporary culture, could be seen at the beginning of July at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. From August, the artist's work will be exhibited in the MO Museum.
Life experiences and the female body
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Buhlebezwe Siwani's work analyzes the various interpretations of the black female body and the lived experiences of women in South Africa. Choosing her body as the main means of communication with the viewer, she delves into traditional Christianity, African spirituality and her own memories and experiences.
Paulo Nazareth also reveals his Indian and African roots in his works. The Brazilian, of African and South American indigenous descent, is one of the world's most famous artists of his generation and one of the most famous figures in the South American art scene. Mr. Nazareth lived in favelas (slums in Brazil) where he met different people and was exposed to other cultures. It is not for nothing that one can see in his work a philosophical thinker intertwined with an artist.
The upcoming exhibition will also feature the work of Violeta Bubelytė, a Lithuanian artist who has been photographing her changing body for more than 20 years. She is the first photographer in Lithuania who pointed the camera lens at her naked body, and she did it back in the Soviet era. Her photos are imbued with a sense of loneliness, and the body is as important as the face.
Provokes and questions stereotypes
An artist who raises politically sensitive topics and is not afraid of visually provocative images, Patrizio di Massimo mocks his own everyday and artistic life, gallerists or collectors. And in the MO museum, it will be possible to see his painting, which started a whole cycle of works mocking the relationship between husband and wife and stereotypes.
Technology and human behavior
Visitors to the MO Museum will also have the exclusive opportunity to see Simon Denny's work inspired by the 2013 JAV espionage scandal and Edward Snowden's leaked slides with classified information about US telecommunications surveillance programs. The piece reveals the fragility of private life today and how our personal digital portraits can be stored in databases.
The exhibition also exhibits Eglė Budvytytė, often referred to as the work of a "hacker". In her films and performances, she "hacks" and "overloads" various types of systems. Visitors will be able to see her work "Sekta".
In addition to the already discussed artists, the upcoming exhibition will also include the works of Maxwell Alexandre, Damir Očko, Nico Vascellari, Neil Beloufa, and Gintaro Znamierowski. Visitors will also be presented with the work of Thomas Houseag, who is currently presenting his work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The works of foreign artists belong to the Lewben Art Foundation, and the works of Lithuanian artists belong to the collection of the MO Museum.
The presentation of the exhibition "Our Selfie" together with the curator of the exhibition Francesca Ferrarini will take place in 2019. August 8 19 p.m. in the MO Museum. The exhibition is open to visitors until 2019. November 17. More information about the exhibition: "Our Selfie".
About MO
MO Museum, whose building was designed by the world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind, opened its doors in 2018. October 18 Prior to its opening, the MO Museum, founded on the personal initiative of scientists Danguolė and Viktoras Butkai, operated as a museum without walls for almost a decade. The collection of more than 5000 modern and contemporary works of art is part of the Lithuanian Art Gold Fund from the 6th century. 150s to the present day. During the first half of the museum's operation, approximately 000 visitors visited it.
MO Museum is a place for good leisure time that tells stories about us. Exhibitions invite you to visit here, cinema, educational activities, concerts and others events, intended for various age groups. One of MO's goals is to gather an active community - MOdernists - who support the idea of MO and help create the new museum together.
About Lewben Art Foundation
"Lewben Art Foundation" is an art foundation that administers a collection of nearly 2000 works, which includes works by Lithuanian and foreign artists from the XNUMXth century. the works of the late old masters to modern art. In addition to paintings, which form the core of the collection, a large part is occupied by sculptures, photographs, video works and installations.
In cooperation with art historians, curators, artists and other cultural institutions, Lewben Art Foundation organizes exhibitions and publishes art albums.
"Lewben Art Foundation" is the founder of the Lithuanian Expatriate Art Foundation of the State Public Enterprise, the purpose of which is to systematically research the art of the diaspora and return the works to the homeland. The collection administered by the Lithuanian Diaspora Art Foundation consists of works by Lithuanian diaspora from the XNUMXth century. beginning to the present day.
